The Simple Bench These Students Created for Painfully Shy Children Will Make Your Heart Swell

These kids may be sitting down, but they're certainly not sitting out!

A group of children at a Pittsburgh elementary school have created a "Buddy Bench." A special seat for shy classmates who want to join playground activities, this bench lets more outgoing kids know which students want to be included. All the kids have to do to use the Buddy Bench is sit down to let others know they need more encouragement to participate.

School counselor Regina Farrell said the idea for the bench came up about a year ago during a leadership group meeting with students to help boost confidence in children. Four fourth graders suggested the bench, and the act of kindness has since become a reality—a beautiful reality.

"Each day, I go to recess and see the buddy bench working," Farrell said. "The lessons they are learning now will benefit them their entire lives. It is simply a beautiful example of kids wanting to be kind and continue to be kind every day."